Requiem
by blessifier
Summary: In a world where the Alices are feared by some and repulsed by others. Dystopia AU (very different from what I'm used to lol)
1. 1: Beginnings

**This is just an idea. Dunno where I'm going with this o.o**

* * *

"Off with their heads! And the rest in shreds! The Alices are dead! And so are our dreads!"

The children in the distance screamed in delight when they finished and chattered away by the morning sun. One little girl in the group stuck out her arms like wings and ran around the rest.

"Watch out! I'm an Alice! I'm an Alice!" she shrilled. "I'm going to kill everyone!"

The children again screamed in laughter as they avoided being caught by the girl. They did everything in their power to avoid her: jumping from poles, rolling across the grass, and climbing up trees. Finally after a few minutes, one boy was caught. The moment the girl touched his shoulder, he fell onto the ground and twisted in pretend agony, shrieking, "The Alice! The Alice!" before falling into a fake death.

The result was an explosion of laughter. Other boys assumed positions of soldiers and pointed their finger-guns at the girl and the 'infected' boy, shooting them down with gun noises emitted from their throats. The girl slumped down next to the boy before they broke into gleeful cheers with the others.

"Off with their heads! And the rest in shreds! The Alices are dead! And so are our dreads!" they chanted merrily again on the merry-go-round. Moments later, all their parents called, and the children parted ways to their happy families. The merry-go-round slowly spun to a stop, and the swings swung to stillness.

A particular brunette named Mikan was observing the scene as she patiently waited for her bus. Nothing, as much as a hint of emotion, showed on her face. She dragged her eyes away from the now-empty playground and towards the television store next to her.

 _"Breaking news presented to you by JBC. A fire was discovered last night burning an asylum north of Holo Lane. One casualty resulted from this incident. Investigators believe it was the works of an Alice-wielder on the loose. Be wary as you walk…"_

"An Alice again?" a woman near her muttered in disgust. "I wonder why we can't just kill all of them?!" She nudged the brunette with her arm. "You don't like those stinking Alices either, right?"

She nodded.

The woman seemed satisfied with her answer. "See? Every person I've asked gave me that answer too. I wonder why we can't just segregate them to the other side of the world. Oooh, maybe we should just banish them to Mars."

Mikan remained quiet. Even when the bus came by, she bid a polite nod of farewell to the woman and transferred onto the vehicle, sitting down next to a familiar classmate.

The girl looked up in surprise, her dark hair flung back. "Oh hey Mikan!" she greeted cheerfully. "How're you doing?"

Mikan smiled. "Good. You?"

"I would say good too, but I'm actually a bit nervous for the examinations today," the girl admitted as she twiddled her fingers. She looked up to Mikan's confused face. "You know…the annual examination?" she emphasized.

"Oh, yes," said Mikan. "But it's just an examination of the body."

"They say it's that, but really it's to see if you have some freaky Alice power…" Her classmate dropped to a whisper. "…like what if they catch someone? What if some classmate near us was… _an Alice?_ "

"...Then that wouldn't be good."

"Indeed," the girl agreed wholeheartedly with a shiver. "Ya know, last year….one boy got caught after the examinations…his two close friends also got caught and received the sentences."

"Sentences? What happened to them?"

She rolled her eyes at Mikan. "Seriously, do you live under a rock? They all died, of course…probably. I heard from my mom that the council is being stricter with the rules pertaining to Alices living…in our country. They should be anyways, thank god."

The bus halted to a stop, and the classmates around Mikan stood up and marched off, the brunette trailing behind with thoughts hazing her mind. The girl looked behind her shoulder and slowed down to match Mikan's pace.

"Did you watch _Freakster_ last night?" she gushed to the brunette. "If you say no, I'm going to slap you."

"No, I don't watch television."

She slapped Mikan gently with a pitying look. "You missed out on soooo much. I can't believe you don't watch _Freakster_. Last night, they had some new addition to their Alice collection! You won't believe what one of the Alices' power was."

"What?"

"It was ice! She nearly froze the TV announcer, so they had to electrocute her and toss her into the control room. That was hilarious! There was another male Alice, but he wasn't as funny, so they just kicked him into the gas room and filmed how he was going to get out with a carrot. Kinda boring but whatever."

"I see."

"I think that male Alice died. Actually….I don't know. I didn't pay attention to that part. If he did, good riddance," she shrugged and nonchalantly walked to a destination different from Mikan's. "I'll see you later at the examinations, Mikan."

The brunette said nothing as she watched the girl walk away and whisked off to her own classroom. She passed by dozens of conversations also giddily discussing the latest _Freakster_ episode; she walked on, her fist clenching and her jaw set in silent frustration. On the way, from the corner of her eye, she saw a crowd of people around a clubroom.

"Another stupid freak-lover," one person muttered as she edged closer. "Can't believe they would stand up for those monsters…"

She ignored the comment and slid her way into the crowd, her eyes finally reaching the scene of interest. A girl with pink hair, black and blue, sat stubbornly next to a sign that read, 'Justice for Alice!' Mikan noticed she was clenching her wrist that seemed to be bleeding.

A burly male student stepped on the pink girl's leg. "A filthy freak-lover is infecting our school," he taunted as he put more pressure on. "How disgusting."

She didn't say anything but gave a defiant look to the male.

"Oooh, I'm scared to death from your stare," he sneered. "Is one of your kinky Alice friends going to save you? Are they going to freeze me to death? Or burn me to a crisp? Oooh, maybe they'll even teleport me to Hawaii. I would like that!"

Most of the crowd howled with laughter. Mikan's eyes twitched.

"But I guess those disgusting monsters aren't here. Not like they'll dare to show up anyways." The burly male turned to the crowd. "How about we dunk this freak-lover's head into the toilet?! That ought to wake her up!"

The students around them cheered in agreement and roared, "DUNK HER! DUNK HER! DUNK HER! DUNK…."

Mikan walked away briskly, not giving a second glance or thought of the poor girl's fate. Her lips wobbled, and she kept her head down, avoiding contact of other students. She opened the classroom door and shut it behind her. Slightly shaken, Mikan took her seat in silence.

"Did you see the latest _Freakster_ episode?"

"Dude, that was funny as hell! You think the other died?"

"Probably. But who cares about him? The other female Alice was vicious like some rabid monster!"

"Well, they did electrocute her. Kinda deserved it."

It was the same discussion all over school, repeated everywhere. The conversation was repetitive to the point of nauseating waves curling in Mikan's stomach.

No one had thought it was cruel. The only exception was probably the pink-haired girl, who was currently suffering from extreme bullying. Mikan sank into her seat in guilt. She had done nothing for her. Yet what would have happened if she did help her? Would the school just label them as outcasts? Or would she be put into the category of a freak-lover and be bullied until she could no longer stand it?

The chair in front of her squeaked. Mikan looked up to see a slender girl take her seat as she pushed her short, black hair back. It was the class representative, Hotaru Imai.

It was strange, but ever since Mikan sat near Hotaru on her first day of school, her grades increased by large increments. In fact, Mikan moved from fiftieth to second place in the matter of weeks. She secretly kept to herself that Hotaru was her study charm.

And because of that, she just enjoyed the presence of Hotaru sitting near her. To Mikan (and probably only to herself), there seemed to be a string of silent friendship that formed over the school year. Both never really partook in major conversations that demeaned the Alice race. And they were both known to have the best grades in their year – though Mikan could've sworn she was only average student before Hotaru's appearance at her school. Perhaps there was an air of academic motivation around the particular dark-haired genius, who – Mikan should mention – was worldly famous for her unique inventions.

All in all, Mikan still wasn't brave enough to talk to her. The most conversation exchanged between the two was Hotaru receiving tests, taking one herself, and passing the rest to Mikan, who was behind her.

Everyone was in their seats once the teacher arrived. He tiredly dropped his books and materials onto the pedestal and peered at the students through his glasses.

"We will not be following our usual schedule due to the annual examinations today," he announced, ignoring a few gleeful whoops, "So please line up in alphabetical order by last names."

Surprisingly, Mikan found herself behind Hotaru yet again. As soon as she felt her courage rise with the simple action of tapping Hotaru's shoulder, the line moved to the infirmary direction.

* * *

It was the usual rinse-and-repeat process. Mikan stood behind Hotaru in complete silence, her courage dwindling bits by bits. She had also been trying to ignore the pink-haired girl from before, who was now sitting on a bed, her head drenched and her arms and legs bandaged heavily. It was a terrible sight to behold.

The classmates around her snickered with murmurs of "freak-lover" and words of praise to the girl's bully.

"Hotaru Imai!" the nurse announced. Hotaru disappeared as the door clicked shut behind her.

Mikan stood at the front of the line as she tried tuning others out, clenching her fist tighter than before. She noticed another nurse had pulled a curtain in front of the pink girl, but before the nurse left, she threw a disdainful look at her.

Almost pitying but largely disdainful.

A freak-lover.

"Kill yourself, freak-lover!" A girl shouted and giggled with her friends.

"Yeah! Go die with that Alice on _Freakster_!"

"Freak-lover is crying!"

"How embarrassingly stupid."

Mikan closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on something else. It was hard. Stupidly hard.

"Hey, Mikan!" One of the girls tapped her shoulder with excitement. "Isn't your mother the host of _Freakster_?! Am I right?"

She bit her lips and nodded slowly with difficulty.

"See?! I knew it the moment I read Mikan's last name! It's the Famous K-"

Thankfully, the nurse cut the girl off as she called out Mikan's name. "In here, sweetheart," she ushered the brunette in a sickeningly sweet tone. "Just sit here, and we'll take some samples of your blood."

Mikan's ears perked up. Blood? Last year they only had to take a sample of their saliva. But she didn't protest when the nurse took out a small packet, attached it, and gave Mikan a small rubber ball. Mikan looked at it questioningly.

"You'll see," the nurse assured her and inspected the girl's arm, cleaning it before inserting a needle and probing until the tube filled a dark red color. "Start squeezing the rubber ball as much as you can. The more you do, the quicker the packet gets filled up," she ordered.

She followed the instructions without a word. It only took about five minutes before it was filled up, and the nurse completed it swiftly. "Now wait here," the nurse said and carried off the packet to a different room.

Mikan, out of boredom, observed the room around her, reading the posters of body anatomy and side effects of drug and alcohol. There was nothing else she could do, really. After rereading all the posters at least twice, a person in a lab coat burst in, flustered with messy hair, though he gave a quick smile in Mikan's direction.

"...ere's been one for rescue...should we wait?" Mikan heard him whisper into something invisible. He snaked out another door that was on the opposite side, and Mikan was left blinking cluelessly to herself. She twiddled her fingers and almost decided to read all the posters again when the nurse came back.

"Good girl for waiting," she cooed sickeningly and patted Mikan's head roughly before pulling her by the sleeve to another room. She unclenched her sleeve to point at a mishapened bed sitting at a corner. "Go lie there, and stay."

Though Mikan followed her direction, she felt slightly embarrassed that the nurse was treating her in such a condescending way. Perhaps the nurse was like this before, and Mikan had never noticed. It still didn't feel quite nice.

"Debora, is it set?" A voice came from behind the door.

"Indeed, it is, doctor!" the nurse replied cheerfully. "How strange that we have two discovered today, you know? It is a good thing that Professor Mouri refined the tests!"

Two? Refining tests? Professor Mouri? Mikan stared uncomprehendingly at the blank ceiling, completely absorbed in the cryptic conversation.

"Yes, yes. The other was Hotaru Imai, wasn't it? What a shame."

"Indeed," the nurse agreed. "It's terrible to think how close we were interacting with them before."

The conversation now struck a chord with Mikan as her eyes wildly darted to the nurse. Hotaru Imai? What had happened to her? Why was it terrible interacting with whoever 'them' was? Then, an earlier conversation replayed in her head, and the time ticking in Mikan's head stopped.

 _They say it's that, but really it's to see if you have some freaky Alice power…_

"Why...aren't you an obedient little thing?" the doctor appeared, looming over Mikan with an equally sickening smile. "You are very different from the other one. She did quite a number on some of us before we had to knock her out...by force."

A cold tingle ran up Mikan's spine as cold beads of sweat drenched her neck. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't. The tests from previous years all indicated she was fine.

"As a gift, I'll present to you a nice, little nap," he chuckled as a syringe danced on his fingers, waiting to pierce someone. "I wonder..."

"No..." a small voice croaked, and Mikan found herself pushing...then wildly thrashing against the doctor. "No...NO...NO!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Your test is lying! I'm not one! You're wrong! WRONG! Help! Help!"

"Guess I spoke too soon," the doctor muttered before calling out to the nurse for assistance. Mikan felt her arms pinned down as a needle painfully pierced through her skin. She struggled more before a blurry cloud formed in the middle of her vision. Her eyes felt unfocused. She felt her strength seeping through invisible cracks as her head lolled to one side.

"I'm...not...one..." she whispered desperately through the haze. There were uncomprehending murmurs dancing by her ear before a large, muffled boom blasted off the voices. She blinked slowly, trying to clear the fogs as two dark figures appeared and clashed with two white figures.

The white figures disappeared after Mikan struggled to open her eyes, and the two dark figures came closer and closer. One was close enough where Mikan could see two ruby orbs on its face. Her hand sloppily reached out and fell, only to be caught by something. It was leathery. Gloves?

"I'm...nooooot...oooone..." she choked as tears further clouded her vision. "Pl...eeaase..."

"You're safe," she heard, and that was all it took for her to fall into darkness.


	2. 2: Mission 6136

**Chapter 2**

She remembered when a boy appeared before her window, soaked and ragged, huffing and panting uneven breaths as his disheveled hair blew against the chaotic wind.

It was a dark and stormy night.

She closed her eyes in the pitch-black sea and followed her recollections of that night. She was doing homework, as diligent as always, without a question to why or how her world was. It was a time before her eyes were unveiled to the obscene truth and the cruel reality simmering behind the picturesque utopia she lived within. Her soul was blessed with pure ignorance. She accepted everything that the TV broadcasted. Alice were criminals. And they were not.

But something raw gnawed at her heart that night. It was a primitive feeling, a sense of wanting to destroy everything. It distracted her so much that she walked over to her window. Without a moment of hesitation, she yanked open the window and enjoyed the blast of typhoon whipping past her face and destroying every bit of paperwork left on her desk. She could hear her homework scattering into shreds and drenched in the wrathful sleet. The sensation satiated her savagery as she smiled and howled into the eye of the typhoon.

She howled again and again, ending with a satisfying laugh. She was soaked. Her hair was windblown. Yet her eyes were shimmering with liveliness, watching the chaotic scene of trees swaying violently and debris flying and smashing into the wall adjacent to her house.

After she walked back to her room to gather the fallen, destroyed paper, a shadow flitted across the room. The hair on her neck stood up, quivering. She looked around. Nothing was out of place.

Until her eyes rested on the window. A dark figure leaned against the open frame. A prisoner's outfit. Disheveled hair. Blood. And vacant eyes. She could have screamed for help, but she didn't. She opened her mouth to say something.

At the speed of light, the stranger dashed and pinned her against the wall. One arm yanking both her arms together. The other dangerously wrapped around her neck. She could now see his face and clear, ragged breaths. He had mesmerizing ruby eyes. She felt captivated enough to not breathe a single sound.

"Wake up," he said.

She blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Aren't you going to wake up yet?"

Her eyes shot open and squinted against the blaring light of the sun. She groaned and hid underneath the blankets.

"Oh, the newbie is awake!"

Mikan opened her eyes, confused as she tore off the blankets and sat upright. She found herself staring at two males, who were also staring back. One had soft, blond hair with ocean-blue eyes. The other had spiky, black hair with darker blue eyes.

The latter one scratched his head in an awkward manner. "Uh, so what do we do now?"

"Didn't Misaki leave you with instructions?" the blond one asked and sighed when his friend shrugged.

"I think we're just supposed to inform the rest that she's awake. Not really sure what else we should d-" A loud rumble echoed through the room, startling a few birds outside as the two boys looked over at the red-faced girl, who immediately looked away. "...I think we should first feed her..." the dark-haired male finished before they burst into laughter, excluding Mikan who was extremely embarrassed.

"H-how long have I...been out for?" she asked timidly as she remembered a flow of events: school, examination, scientists, test, and...

The dark-haired boy wiped a tear from his eye. "Like...maybe a week? Man, I haven't heard a stomach growl that loud before!" He chuckled some more as he finally said, "You must be wondering where you are and who we are. I'll tell you in a bit where we are, but I'm Tsubasa and this guy's Ruka. What's your name, kiddo?"

"Mikan."

"And what's your Alice?"

She looked up startled. "A-Alice?" She looked down at her hands, expecting something crazy to happen.

"Do you not know it?" the blond boy gently asked her.

Mikan shook her head. "It's not just that, but...I...I don't think I have an Alice. I think everyone's gotten confused. I've never really..." _Destroyed a building. Released thousands of animals to rampage the city. Stolen from banks. Unleashed destructive powers_.

"But your test was positive. So that's something."

The brunette then looked at them wide-eyed. "Me positive? Then...what happened was..." She remembered being taken away. "A-are you guys...?"

Ruka nodded seriously as he reached down. And popped back up with a white rabbit in his hand. Mikan blinked at the rabbit sitting comfortably in his arms and twitching its nose at her. "My Alice is animal pheromones. I can usually talk to them. By the way, Usagi says hi."

"Hi..." she said, unsure. But she smiled a little when the rabbit leaned closer and touched her hand with the tip of its nose.

"He likes you."

"Does he?" Mikan asked eagerly and petted the rabbit on the head.

"His favorite spot is behind the ears." He took her hand and led it behind the rabbit's right ear as she extended her fingers to rub the soft fur. The rabbit closed its eyes with a serene look.

"Uh, sorry to ruin the moment. But we should probably have some breakfast right now. You know, since her stomach was pretty demanding back there," Tsubasa cut in and chuckled more after seeing Mikan's face flush red.

"Right," she said quickly and jumped off the bed, wobbling from her unsteady strength. Ruka immediately grasped her arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yea. Thanks."

"Mhm."

Tsubasa opened the door for them, but as soon as they entered, he jumped in front and pushed them down behind a counter connected to the wall. A mischievous smile danced across his face. "Hey, Mikan. Wanna see my Alice?"

"Sure?"

He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "Alright. Look above the counter. Do you see a pretty lady with pink hair?"

Mikan cautiously stood up and looked through some indoor plants. She saw plenty of people gathered in what looked like a hub room and was momentarily distracted by the size of it. It was huge. She realized the room she came out of was one of many that circulated around the gigantic hub, and there were more on the second floor when her eyes trailed a faraway staircase on the opposite wall. The hub was bustling. She realized she was hiding behind the counter of a bar.

"You see her?"

"Oh, uhm..." She blinked and looked ahead, immediately spotting a girl in front with short, pink hair talking to a couple of others. She was indeed very pretty, as Tsubasa had said. There was something tomboyish in the stance she took: feet apart, hands at her hip, and a toothy grin. "Yeah, I do see her, Tsubasa."

"Good. You see how that's her shadow over there?"

Her shadow extended to where Mikan was. It was probably due to the open window next to the pink-haired lady. "Yes?"

"Watch."

At that moment, Mikan's heart jumped erratically, fearing what would happen if Tsubasa showed his so-called Alice. Ruka's was fine, but she had no clue what Tsubasa's was. She could see the news flashing explosions caused by Alices. Robberies. Chaos. And murder. Inside, she felt as if Tsubasa would set the whole room on fire and murder everyone. It was a stigma biting into her brain. She opened her mouth.

Ruka sighed next to them, which startled Mikan since he was quiet for so long. "She's going to get mad, Tsubasa."

"Worth it. Okay watch, Mikan."

"Actually, Tsubasa. I-it's-" she began.

She faltered when she watched him step one foot onto the said lady's shadow and fixate a funny pose, where he was in mid-squat and had his hands pushing his cheeks together.

"What are you do-?"

A shriek interrupted Mikan mid-sentence, and with fear, the brunette quickly looked above, only to see the said girl assuming the same position as Tsubasa: mid-squat with hands on her cheeks. She had a furious expression though.

"TSUBASA, STOP THIS NONSENSE!" she shrilled, though she failed to maintain seriousness in the funky pose. A couple of people laughed, though many shook their heads at Tsubasa. One girl fumbled, but she managed to drape the shades over the window, which erased the pink girl's shadow and released her from his control.

"So...you manipulate shadows?" she asked Tsubasa.

"Yeah! Did you see her face? That was hilarious!" He burst into laughter, only to be met by a furious pink-haired girl, who yanked his ear and glared at him with all her might.

"I. Told. You. Not. To. Do. That," she hissed at him.

"S-sorry. Mind releasing my ear though, Misaki?"

"No!"

"That does put a damper on our relationship."

Misaki rolled her eyes. Two poofs of clouds appeared and revealed two duplicates of the pink-haired girl. Mikan squealed in surprise, only to cover her mouth in embarrassment when many pairs of eyes shot in her direction.

"Who's she?" A murmur rose.

"Yeah, I've never seen her."

"Is she new?"

"Oh, I think she's one of the new recruits."

"Calm down, everyone. The poor girl just wants some breakfast," Tsubasa said, only to wince when the pink girl pulled harder on his ear.

"I told you to tell me when she would wake up," Misaki hissed at him.

He shrugged. "She was really hungry though."

"Yeah, she was," Ruka pitched in.

"Oh," the pink-haired girl blinked and gave a warm, friendly smile to Mikan. "Just sit over here, and we'll get you some stuff to eat." But she redirected another glare at Tsubasa. "As for you, I'm going to make you suffer."

"Oo! How fun," he chirped and cheerily waved at Mikan as he was dragged away by Misaki's duplicates. "Ruka's going to take good care of you!"

The hub room continued merrily as Ruka and Mikan took their seat. A couple of people passed by and gave her a small welcoming as she politely nodded. But she turned to Ruka with a curious glance. "Is Misaki's Alice duplication?"

He nodded. "Pretty unique, right? Tsubasa and Misaki have strange ones."

"Yours is unique too."

The blond smiled. "Thanks. I guess."

As the brunette settled into her seat, she tapped her fingers on the counter. Then she asked, "Am I one of the new recruits?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not the only one then, right?"

"Well, uhm. Yeah. I think there was another girl."

"Another girl?" Something in her heart lifted in hope. Her mind flashed back to the girl with black hair and velvety eyes. Hotaru.

"Yeah."

"Was she taken at the same time as me?"

"Well, maybe. We rescued her some time around yours."

"Rescue?" Mikan couldn't help but ask. However, as soon as she asked it, she remembered the venomous, rapturous faces spread across the scientists' faces as they injected something inside her. The memories shivered through her.

"Yes." Ruka's face became grave. "I'm guessing you fully remember your experience with the lab people. The reality of Alices being caught at examinations is either becoming experimental subjects or being subjected as victims of gruesome TV shows. In any way, an Alice is bound to die by suffering."

"That's terrible."

He smiled at her kindly. "I'm glad we managed to get you."

"I'm glad too. Thank you," she shyly smiled back.

"You know..." he scratched his head. "You're weird. You didn't freak out as much as we thought you would. I was in a worse state than you when I first entered."

"Really?"

"Yes. When I woke up, I didn't believe anyone. I had no inkling that I was an Alice. I constantly told people to go away because I thought they were scientists in disguise. It was weird and scary. I lost my family in an instant. I lost my original life. I had no idea where I was or why I was here."

"That's understandable. I also have those feelings too."

He tilted his head. "What makes you react so calmly then?"

She shrugged. It was just the atmosphere that floated by these people, she realized as she thought about it more and more. Seeing people openly laugh and joke around was incomparable to the frighteningly tranquil state back in her life. It made her feel safe here. Homely, even though she knew no one.

Ruka laughed. "You're strangely naive. Adaptable but naive."

"Maybe. But what made you finally accept this place?"

"Well..." A small smile graced his lips. "Someone barged into the room and slapped me."

Mikan's jaw dropped on the floor. "S-slapped you..."

"After time, he became my best friend. Weird, right?"

"Who is he? Is he in this room right now?" She looked around, trying to see if anyone was conspicuously glancing in their direction.

"He was-"

"Here's your breakfast! Scrambled eggs sausage with a couple of French toast sticks! Enjoy, new girl," a girl peeped up from behind. A mouth-watering dish was set in front of Mikan. Everything appeared as if it was made with care. Her mouth drooled as she turned to thank the girl.

Strangely enough, this girl also had pink hair like Misaki's but lighter, longer, and more wavy. She had a feminine grace upon her as her eyes, similar to Ruka's, twinkled like the ocean. Her dress modestly covered her entire body. Overall, she was extremely pretty. But something bit at Mikan's memories. The girl was strangely familiar. "I'm Anna," she introduced herself. "I heard your name was Mikan. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise," Mikan said. "Thank you for breakfast."

"Oh, it was honestly nothing," she grinned. "Nice to see you by the way, Ruka-nyan. I'll be off then." They watched her walk away as Mikan eerily smiled at Ruka.

"Ruka-nyan, eh? What an adorable nickname."

His entire face flushed. "That was only because I rescued a cat. One time. Maybe two."

She laughed merrily, though she pointed at the sleeping rabbit. "Shouldn't your nickname take after a rabbit though? I feel like you like rabbits the best."

"Nicknames are embarrassing," he muttered.

"All the reason why they exist. I should call you Ruka-pyon."

He choked on air. "R-Ruka-pyon?"

"I think it has a better ring to it," the brunette chortled. "Who came up with Ruka-nyan anyways? That's hilarious."

"My best friend."

"Oh," she swallowed a bit of the delicious egg. "That's right. Your best friend. I'm really curious to who would slap someone like you."

"Trust me. You would've slapped me too at that time," he replied as they chuckled together. "You would really like him. He's an easy-going guy. An extrovert, I should say. His face is extremely easy to read as well, so you can always tell what he's thinking. And whenever someone's in a bad mood, he goes out of his way to help them. I think everyone likes him, even the prideful ones. One time, I lost Usagi, and he spent an entire week looking for - Sorry, I'm just rambling." He flushed.

Mikan laughed. "He sounds like an awesome person. When can I meet him? Sign me up!"

Ruka smiled bittersweetly. "You already have."

"I have?" she asked and thought about it. "Wait. Was it Tsubasa?"

He shook his head. "He was the one who rescued you."

* * *

"Alright, you maggots! Time for mission number 6136!" Misaki yelled over the crowd, and the hub room quieted down. Each person turned his or her full attention to the tomboy pinkie as she stood pridefully on the pool table.

Mikan sat in the back, thoughtfully sipping her orange juice, as she recalled what Ruka had told her earlier. His best friend, Natsume, was the one who rescued her. But rescuing her was only part of the mission. The main objective of that particular mission was to hack into the school system and steal information of potential Alices for future rescues. Even though they had no time to waste, the said friend still rescued her. And she remembered clearly her savior's voice.

 _You're safe_.

Her heart thumped. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to properly thank him.

For now, however, it was impossible.

"Objective of mission number 6136 is to invade Building 136 and rescue our comrades!" Misaki hollered. "Who's with me?!"

"Us!"

"Louder!"

"Us!"

"Who?!"

"REQUIEM!"

Mikan listened to the chants as she continued to sip. In the same mission, Natsume had gone back after leaving her in Tsubasa's hands. But he and a few others were caught, imprisoned, and trapped in the so-called Building 136. In Mikan's memories, Building 136 was an equivalent to a torture-chamber. Half of it was an experimental facility, and she shivered, hoping they were safe. Her hands tightened around the glass cup, her knuckles whitening. It had already been a week since their capture.

 _I need to go_.

She blinked and placed a hand over her heart. It was a similar kind of savagery that built in her heart, nibbling away and wanting to release into the open. She wanted to go. But what could she do? Watch? Sip orange juice in the back? Fight? She couldn't do anything. And she felt useless. She didn't even know her own Alice.

"Any volunteers apart from the assigned soldiers?!" Several hands raised as Misaki picked them off. Mikan watched from afar.

"Any more?"

No more hands were raised. In fact, some volunteers looked dubious as they looked at the name 'Building 136'. Their once eager faces dropped into a sallow, cautious expression.

"Once. Twice."

"HERE!"

Mikan internally slapped herself as every gaze looked at her, some muttering in a bewildered manner. She sweated, swallowed, and stood from her seat. "I'll go."

* * *

"You have a death wish," Ruka muttered as they ran through the black-covered sky. She huffed behind him, never having to run this much in her life, but tried her best to keep up. No one could wait for her, and they shouldn't.

"You're right," she agreed and panted. "I can...barely...keep up...with this."

"Natsume wouldn't have wanted you to come. He rescued you to keep you alive. Not to become suicidal."

"I need...to...thank him," she gasped.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you could've done so when he comes back with us. Are you alright though?" he asked anxiously.

She nodded in silence.

"Stop."

Everyone halted as the brunette stumbled a little, putting one hand on Ruka's shoulder as she steadied herself. Her breath came out ragged, harsh. It was the same as that boy. The one she saw that night. And again in her dream.

"Hijiri, go investigate," Misaki ordered.

A tall male stood and walked out of the bushes, almost in a calm demeanor, as he approached the guard by the door. Like magic, his body began morphing in the shadows. And in a spontaneous second, he was a second replica of the guard. Or appeared to be. Perhaps his face was different, but he conversed with the guard, and after some time, entered the building. But something flashed. And the two fell onto the ground. Both unmoving.

"What the," Misaki gritted her teeth. She pulled out something and placed it to her ear. "Hey Hijiri. Can you hear me?! Hey! Are you alright?! Hijiri!"

Mikan covered her mouth. She clenched Ruka's shoulder. "H-Hijiri...what happened to him?" she whispered.

The blond didn't respond. She looked and saw he had a look of surprise as well, horrified even.

Out of nowhere, a brilliant fire sprouted from the door and devoured the two bodies. It soon burst and enveloped the entire building, the flames trickling and snaking around the walls and pillars of Building 136. Before them, the infamous building was collapsing.

"Natsume..." she heard Ruka breathe.

Natsume? She looked at the ravenous fire devouring everything in its path. Did Natsume do this?

Misaki was the first to stand up as she walked toward the fire. A look of disbelief was sketched on her face. "What the hell happened?" she murmured.

A ball of fire erupted from the magnificent flames and shot for Misaki, but she barely dodged in time, the flames singeing the tips of her hair. The fire instead hit a tree behind and exploded into another patch of flames.

"Misaki!" Ruka yelled.

"I'm fine! We should try to-!" She paused and looked down. Another flame had shot out in the form of an arrow and pierced through her chest, straight into her heart. She had stopped in mid-sentence and while looking at the flames, collapsed to her knees. Another arrow shot out and struck her neck. She fell. Unmoving as a puddle of blood formed beneath her.

"Misaki!" Tsubasa roared and leapt over the bushes, running over to the fallen. Mikan stumbled back and fell onto the dirt, trembling. She had witnessed two...no, three deaths. In a single minute. Her eyes fearfully stared into the fire that licked everything in its course and exploded into another wrathful ball of flames. Like a finishing blow, she saw dozens of fire arrows aim towards the sky and fall like raindrops toward the Alices.

"Run!" Ruka shouted into her ear. He pulled her with a gruff movement and yanked her out before three arrows could pierce her torso. "What the hell are you doing?" he screamed. "Move, move!" She looked at him wide-eyed and scrambled to her feet, following as he pulled her hand through the forest, backtracking their path.

"What about Misaki?! What about Hijiri?! Tsubasa?! Natsume?!" she yelled. "W-we...we have to go back! They're not safe!"

"What can you-shoot, get out!" He pulled her away from another tumble of arrows that diminished as soon as they hit the ground. "I don't get what's going on, but we have to escape!"

"We have to help!"

He pulled her by the shoulders. "What can you do?! You don't even know your Alice! My Alice can't even do anything!"

"Well, we can't just leave them behind!"

"We-!" He ran a hand through his hair as he looked away. But his eyes were caught by something. Mikan turned in his direction as her mouth fell open. It was a boy around their age. Wearing blood-stained prison clothes. Untamed raven hair. And sullen, dead eyes. He looked like the boy in her dreams.

"Natsume?" Ruka whispered. He stumbled over a root as he walked toward the figure. "You're safe! I thought you were gone! Did they do anything to you?!"

Silence.

This was Natsume. Mikan looked at the still figure, who bore his eyes into Ruka, staring at the blond as if he were prey. This was Natsume, the one who had saved her and was Ruka's best friend. The Natsume who had saved the both of them. The figure took one step forward, walked to Ruka in an unsteady fashion, and flicked his hand. It was a flame arrow.

"RUKA!" she screamed.

In a moment's flash, Ruka was gone. The arrow whisked through the night air and pierced the same spot where Misaki was hit. He staggered. And fell, twitching away the last bits of life as the figure took one more arrow and stabbed the blond's head, coloring it with red. He stopped twitching.

A sob broke out. Mikan covered her mouth. She fell backwards and scampered, moving until her back hit a tree. This wasn't Natsume. She watched the figure slowly rise from the body, his back still turned to the brunette. And that was when she noticed something black devouring the back of his neck. Like a kiss mark. It pulsated, dragging his head to face Mikan as his sullen red eyes glowed in the darkness. It was the kiss mark controlling him, she realized.

Like light, the figure wildly ran toward her as she screamed. His hand clenched her throat and dragged her up the tree trunk. She coughed. Her eyes rolled into darkness. She couldn't breath. Her feet dangled helplessly in the air.

She had to get rid of the kiss mark before he could form another fire arrow. But he didn't. He only looked at her with cold eyes and an unforgiving expression, waiting for Mikan to choke out her remaining life. She struggled futilely. And without thinking, she clasped her hand on his neck and dug her fingernails in, willing her power to remove it. He roared in pain, clenching her throat harder.

It was coming out. Whatever was in there. She needed more time. She needed all the time. Where were the rest? Did they fall? She needed someone. Just one person to pull him away. Just one -

A sharp pain cracked her neck, and she collapsed onto the ground, still.

* * *

 **A/N: gotta study for midterm oh god. bye guys LOL.**


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